Modern operating systems may use services to perform various functions in the background. For example, services may index resources, collect and log information, automatically perform scripted tasks, and/or perform security functions.
In some systems, a system process (such as a service control manager) may manage services and allow processes to interact with services. For example, a service control manager may enable processes to start, stop, and/or configure services. Since some services may protect computing systems against exploits, attacks, and/or intrusions, traditional security systems may protect vital security-related services from being stopped, suspended, and/or deleted. Unfortunately, because attempts by a process to reconfigure a service may be performed through a service control manager by proxy instead of directly by the process, traditional security systems may prove ineffective at distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate attempts to reconfigure a service, as all attempts may appear to originate from the service control manager. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for protecting services.